In the parable of the talents, a master goes on a journey and entrusts his resources to his servants.

One receives five talents, another receives two, and another receives one. A talent was not simply a skill. It was an enormous amount of money, roughly the equivalent of many years of wages.

The point is not that God compares us to one another. The servant with two talents is not criticized for failing to produce what the servant with five talents produced. Both are called faithful. Both hear the same words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

God is not asking us to be somebody else. He is asking us to be faithful with what he has entrusted to us.

That changes the way we think about our lives. Our time is not merely our time. Our abilities are not merely our abilities. Our money, relationships, opportunities, energy, and influence are not simply things we own and occasionally offer back to God. They belong to God, and he has entrusted them to us as stewards.

The servant with one talent was ruled by fear. He buried what he was given. He did not lose it, but he also did not do anything with it.

Fear can keep us from faithfulness too. We may fear failure, disappointment, loss, or not having enough for ourselves. But Jesus is not asking us to preserve our lives untouched. He is calling us to trust him enough to use what he has given us for his purposes.

Faithfulness may look different from person to person. It may mean serving a neighbor, making room in a busy schedule, giving generously, caring well for a family, using a skill to bless someone, protecting Sabbath, or taking the next step God has put in front of us.

The question is not, “Why has God given someone else more than me?” The question is, “How does God want me to be faithful with what he has given me?”

Table Discussion Questions:

1. What resources has God entrusted to me right now? Consider time, abilities, relationships, money, energy, and opportunities.

2. Where does fear keep me from using what God has given me faithfully?

3. What is one practical way I can steward one of God’s gifts this week?

Watch the full message: Watch on YouTube

Learn more about Tables Church: What To Expect.